Four police officers in North Halmahera, North Maluku, allegedly tortured a student named Yulius Yatu alias Ongen (YY alias O) until he fainted. The victim was also put in a dog kennel and forced to apologize to a dog.

Quoted from Kompas.com, the inhumane actions of 4 North Halmahera Police officers against him were reported by the victim to the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS).

KontraS Deputy Coordinator Rivanlee Anandar said that the incident occurred on September 20, 2022, a day after the victim made a WhatsApp status related to securing a demonstration of rising fuel prices.

''A day later, 4 unidentified people came to look for victims at his residence at around 21.00 WIT. While the four perpetrators asked the victim about the identity of a photo, the perpetrators suddenly punched him right in the face, strangled the victim, and took him out of the house to a public road," said Rivanlee in a written statement received by Kompas.com, Thursday (6/10 /2022).

"When the victim was dragged away, the perpetrator continued to beat the victim causing bruises under the eyes, cracked lower lip, and strangled the victim again until the victim fainted," he added.

The victim was then taken by 4 perpetrators to the North Halmahera Police, dragged and put in a dog kennel. It is said that the victim was even threatened with death until no one knew, before being beaten, kicked, forced to roll over again, until told to prostrate and do push-ups.

"Furthermore, the victim was forced to squat and run around the area of ​​the North Halmahera Police, until he rolled on the asphalt road, and again ran around the volleyball field 5 times," said Rivanlee.

"While forced to carry out the order, the victim continued to be intimidated and told to apologize to the sniffer dogs of the North Halmahera Police," he added.

The torture is said to have lasted 2 hours before the victim was taken home by one of the perpetrators.

KontraS also asked that this incident be investigated by the North Maluku Regional Police Chief and the perpetrators be given maximum punishment for the sake of a deterrent effect. They insisted that methods such as these should not be used in any case settlement.

"Apart from that, we also urge the victims and their families to be given the widest possible access to information regarding the ongoing legal process against the perpetrators," said Rivanlee.

The Perpetrator Has Been Detained

The North Maluku Regional Police admitted that they had followed up on the alleged violence committed by the person on duty at the North Halmahera Police against the victim YY.

Head of North Maluku Regional Police Public Relations, Kombes Pol Michael Irwan Tamsil explained, the case is now being handled both criminally and ethically by the police.

For criminal acts, it is handled by the Directorate of General Criminal Investigation while ethics is handled by Propam.

"The order from the Chief of Regional Police, we will act decisively, first we will do it criminally which was carried out by Crimem, secondly it will be handled ethically by Propam," said Michael.

He confirmed that there were four police officers who were currently detained.

"Four members were detained this afternoon at the North Halmahera Police," he said.

However, Michael denied that if the victim was forced to apologize to the dog. According to him, the person concerned was only asked to make a testimonial video apologizing for the upload he made on social media.

"That's not true (apologize to the dog), so we asked for a testimonial video of an apology for the post," said Michael.

The case, he said, started with a demonstration at the North Halmahera Regency DPRD Office, North Maluku.

The North Halmahera Police conducted security, and from Sabhara also used sniffer dogs, which were then photographed by the victim.

After the demonstration, the victim uploaded a WhatsApp status, 'can't use hands, uses sniffer dogs'

“That post. Then that night a member visited, asked what the post meant but they didn't admit that it was the post, so they took them from home to the office. Then action was taken, ordered to squat and so on," he said.

"Then the members are told to make testimonials, the members who recorded them, to apologize for their posts. But after that he admitted that he was the one who posted it," added Michael.